smith



Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

H. A. SMITH.

CLUTCH,

. HA" 7 wp lrw J ,m:

(No Model.)

%%'ESSE UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

HENRY A. SMITH, on ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,210, dated December 20, 1887.

Application filed May 23, 1887. Serial No. 239,129. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ALEXANDER SMITH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Clutch; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the class of clutches that are used to convert reciprocating intointermittent rotary motion, and which are generally known as friction-clutches, from the fact that the operating-pawl engages with a smooth instead of a serrated surface; and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts to produce an intermittent rotary motion, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views showing a shaft on which is a disk rigidly attached and a loosely-running sleeve. The lever that is pivoted to the sleeve and that engages with the cylindrical flange on the disk is also shown, as well as a spring, the function of which will be hereinafter described. Fig. 3 isa perspective view, showing the forked lever.

The forward movement of the clutch is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 by an arrow. I shall refer to the movement of any of the parts in this direction as a forward movement.

In these figures like references indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

A is a shaft, and B a disk, on one side of which is a flange, b. The disk B is rigidly fastened to the shaft A. The sleeve 0 is also on the shaft A, but runs loosely, that the shaft may revolve in it. The sleeve 0 is provided with a crank-arm, c, to which is pivoted a reciprocating pitman, D. The pitman D imparts an oscillating movement to the sleeve 0, which for most purposes is the preferred way of imparting the motion to the sleeve; but it might be imparted in other ways. The 1ever E is pivoted to the sleeve at a point between the shaft and the contact of the lever with the flange, and preferably near the shaft. The lever E has on its outer end two lugs or lips,e, that are adapted by their distance apart and curvature to fit loosely over the flange. The hole by which the lever is pivoted to the flange is slightly elongated, to allow the lever to adjust itself radially, and has a projecting arm, 6, Figs. 2 and 3. F is a spring, the pre ferred form being a rubber band around the hook f on the sleeve and the hook f on the lever, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, its function being to keep the lever e drawn back in the direction of its backward movement.

It is obvious that the spring F will bring backwardly the lever E to the position of clamping the flange, so that the forward movement of the sleeve, carrying with it the inner end of the lever,will increase the frictional contact of the lips e and the flange b in proportion as force is applied to the lever and resisted by the flange; but when the forward movement of the sleeve shall have been reversed, and the inner end of the lever carried backwardly, the spring will bring the outer end with it and prevent the lips e clamping on the flange and leave at the end of the backward stroke said lips e in a position to immediately grip the flange on the commencement of the next forward stroke. When the clutch is used on a vertical shaft, the spring F may be dispensed with, as the lever will as sume, immediately on the starting of its inner end in a forward direction, the position of gripping the flange; but I find that it is preferable to use the spring in all cases, as it insures regularity and makes a fine adjustment possible. The extension or arm 6 abuts against the side of the sleeve, as shown in Fig. 2, to prevent the lever assuming a position to the flange in its backward movement that will cause it to grip the flange in case the spring should fail to do so or whenever the spring is not used.

I am aware that it is not new to use a pawl provided with jaws acting upon a flanged disk to produce an intermittent rotary motion, and do not, therefore, broadly claim sucha device as my invention. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

As an improvement in friction-clutches, the combination, with the shaft A and flanged presence of two witnesses. disk B, of the loose crank-arm and sleeve 0, I HENRY A. SMITH. mounted upon said shaft, the lever E, pivoted YVitnesses: upon said sleeve and provided with jaws to I J AMES A. SHIELDS, engage the flange b of the disk, and the spring I A. P. YVOOD.

F, connecting said sleeve and lever, all arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

10 In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 

